Today, there are many different dog breeds in existence precisely because of how they were historically bred for different purposes. In most households today, the Bloodhound breed has become quite the charmer due to its large frame and droopy face. But, even though it might be large and it has “blood” in its name, the Bloodhound tends to be a gentle giant that is great for many different families. Still, what are Bloodhounds bred for?
Historically, the Bloodhound was bred to track deer and help hunters look for other wild game while hunting. As time passed, they became great at tracking people and objects as well. That’s why they are currently favorites as police dogs. However, Bloodhounds can still be great family dogs nowadays.
The Bloodhound is a pretty old dog breed that has been around for a long time. However, because of how long it has been around, it has only become quite skilled at doing a lot of useful things because of its great sense of scent for tracking things. After all, that is what the Bloodhound was originally bred for.
Using Bloodhounds for Hunting
The amazing thing about many dog breeds is that they actually have a specific reason as to why they were bred. After all, that was how the dog basically came to be as, genetically, they were originally wolves that were selectively bred by taking the most docile and less vicious wolves and allowing them to breed their own offspring, which eventually became the domesticated dog.
Because humans were hunter-gatherers back in the day and had to hunt for wild game while raising livestock, they needed hunting companions that had the speed, endurance, hunting instincts, and senses of a wolf but in a package that was friendlier and more receptive to humans. This was how plenty of different hounds came about, and the Bloodhound is no different.
There were many different types of hunting dogs bred by various cultures all over the world. Some were bred to become sight hunters that were able to use their sense of sight well enough to quickly spot prey and chase after them. Others were scent hunters that could pick up the scent of prey and take track it down to where it is based solely on its scent. In fact, dogs that were able to track by scent can be traced all the way back in the first century.
However, it was not until the medieval period in Europe that the Bloodhound came to be as it is today. In that regard, Bloodhounds could be up to one thousand years based on records from medieval times.
It is often said that the Bloodhound first came about in the 7th century when it was bred by a certain St. Hubert in Belgium. It was he and his monks that are credited for first breeding the Bloodhound but it was not until about a few centuries later that the Bloodhound became more prominent when William the Conqueror actually brought bloodhounds with him to England as he conquered the country during the middle part of the 11th century.
In fact, the St. Hubert Monastery in Belgium still bred bloodhounds, which were even gifted to the royal family of France. As such, the Bloodhound is often referred to as the St. Hubert hound.
They primarily used Bloodhounds to track down the scent of deer and other wild game without even ordering them to do so. All they did was to present them with the scent of their prey so that the Bloodhounds would eventually track them down using their amazingly keen sense of smell.
Hence, this is why Bloodhounds are generally independent, stubborn, and difficult to train as they often did not need to be ordered or trained to do what they do best.
Back then, however, because the monks found in the monasteries of France and England were so well-funded by the crowns of their respective countries, they were the ones often tasked to breed Bloodhounds. And because of how they had the funds to do so, they were careful in breeding these dogs so that they could meet the standards of the royal families that wanted only the best Bloodhounds that they could use for hunting and tracking down game.
Why Are Bloodhounds Called Bloodhounds?
Bloodhounds earned their name because they were originally bred for royalty. Thus, they were known back then as “blooded” hounds, which was meant to refer to hounds that were of aristocratic blood. It was later shortened to “Bloodhound”, the name that we use today.
In conclusion, the historical nature of the Bloodhound is that of a hunting companion for aristocratic European families that used the dog’s keen sense of smell to track down deer and game. That’s why the Bloodhound was never good at sight hunting as it was mostly used to be an independent scent tracker that could easily use their sense of smell to keep track of whatever they are supposed to hunt.
Bloodhounds for Tracking Humans and Objects
While the Bloodhound was originally used as a hunting dog that could track down the scent of their prey, it was not until the 17th century that it became used for tracking down people as they had the capability to also trace the smell of humans and track them down from miles away.
This was particularly useful when it came to law enforcement because no other dog could equal them when it comes to their sense of smell. Moreover, these dogs are large and muscular enough to be able to track down people for dozens of miles. And if they were indeed able to track down whoever they needed to track down, they had the size that could intimidate them even though Bloodhounds are generally gentle towards humans.
Still, Bloodhounds are often used to hunt down poachers and thieves alike. And when it was brought to the Americas during the colonial times, Bloodhounds were used to track down marauding Native Americans as well.
Bloodhounds As Show Dogs
During the Victorian period in England, the Bloodhound also earned a reputation as a show dog thanks in large part to how Queen Victoria was an avid dog lover, and even went on to enter one of her Bloodhounds in a dog show during the latter portion of the 1800s.
As such, thanks to the Victorian era in England, the Bloodhound earned itself a reputation for being a companion dog and a show dog on top of how useful it was for hunting game and tracking people alike.
Bloodhounds As Police Dogs
Since Bloodhounds were often used for hunting and tracking down different people during the 17th century, it became clear that the breed’s trajectory was to become a great police dog during the modern period today thanks to how amazing its sense of smell is.
Nowadays, when you are talking about some of the best police dogs that different departments all over the world use, you cannot discount how important the Bloodhound is because it has the capability of sniffing and tracking people and illegal substances.
The Bloodhound, on top of tracking people, is also being used for smelling and identifying dangerous substances such as drugs and explosives. This is why you commonly see policemen and other security officials carrying Bloodhounds during a crime scene or in the airport. It’s all thanks to how amazing its sense of smell is and how it is capable of detecting people and objects alike.
Because of how keen a Bloodhound’s sense of smell is, you should know that this dog’s trailing is actually admissible as evidence in court when the prosecution is presenting evidence to convict an accused person. That’s because, no matter how advanced our technology may be, there is no device that can come near the accuracy of the Bloodhound’s nose.
Bloodhounds As Family Companions
Going back to the 1800s, it was during the Victorian era when the Bloodhound saw things turning around for it because of how more and more people were beginning to accept this breed as a companion dog without taking advantage of its keen sense of smell. From there, more and more people in England began breeding Bloodhounds simply as family companions.
The trend continued until today, where different families all over America and the entire world take care of Bloodhounds as family pets. That’s why plenty of breeders are breeding them not to become police dogs or show dogs but to actually become family companions that are great towards adults, children, and other household pets.
Bloodhounds have always been generally fond of being around people and are actually very gentle towards humans to the point that they can get friendly towards strangers. They also get along well around cats and other domesticated animals. As such, Bloodhounds have always been great family companions that can both be energetic and lazy.
However, there are a few knocks on the Bloodhound as a pet. First off, it is generally independent and stubborn because of how this breed was bred to be left alone when trying to sniff and track down prey. This means that they can be difficult to train. Also, you should always keep a paper towel around because of how Bloodhounds drool a lot due to how their droopy mouths don’t hold saliva too well.
What’s Next for the Bloodhound?
So, with all that said, what’s next for the Bloodhound and what is in store for it in the future?
Well, seeing as how the Bloodhound has been around for a thousand years or so and has been used as a working dog that hunted and tracked down animals and people alike, it is safe to say that many police departments will still be using Bloodhounds as tracking dogs unless technology eventually catches up and someone would finally invent a device that can track scents better than a Bloodhound.
Of course, because most dogs are now bred to be family companions, it is safe to say that people will still be breeding Bloodhounds as pets in the future as some of the jobs that the Bloodhound used to do centuries ago are no longer applicable in the modern society that we live in today.